Daniel Day-Lewis's acting return in son's new film turned my stomach

Daniel Day-Lewis's acting return in son's new film turned my stomach

Anemone, though rich in striking performances, didn't align with expectations. After eight years away from the screen, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis shows that his unmatched skill remains intact. The film, marking a confident debut from his son Ronan Day-Lewis, hints that cinematic talent may indeed be a family trait.

Ronan Day-Lewis directs and co-writes Anemone with his father. The story delves into the tangled emotional bonds between fathers, sons, and brothers—material that understandably tempted Day-Lewis Sr. back into acting, even though he maintains he never officially “retired.” Still, it’s a film that might divide audiences.

“Opening on a child’s drawings depicting the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Ronan Day-Lewis’s confident style and flair for playing with music is immediately established.”

Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean portray estranged brothers, Ray and Jem, both former British Army soldiers during the height of the Northern Irish conflict. Two decades earlier, Ray withdrew into a solitary life in the forest, off the grid. When the film begins, Jem sets out to find Ray and bring him back to his former partner Nessa (Samantha Morton) and her troubled son Brian (Samuel Bottomley). Jem, it appears, has filled Ray’s place within the family since his brother disappeared.

The film’s opening sequence, where no one speaks for nearly thirty minutes, demonstrates Ronan Day-Lewis’s control and sensitivity as a filmmaker, allowing relationships and spaces to reveal themselves naturally.

Author’s Summary

Daniel Day-Lewis’s film return in his son’s debut Anemone is a quiet, emotionally charged story of family and loss that highlights Ronan Day-Lewis’s emerging directorial talent.

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Metro Metro — 2025-11-07

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